The story of the scammers returning empty iPad 2 boxes filled with modelling clay has reached outside of the Metro Vancouver region. According to a follow up CTV report, three more people have come forward about purchasing an iPad 2 only to find a clay brick inside. One of those buyers is from Victoria, as Rosemary Symchuk had a similar experience at Best Buy:

“The employees were all aware that this had happened on the Mainland but none of them had actually seen it,” Symchuk said.

Symchuk said she was told the box should have been opened for her before she left the store, and it is now policy that nothing is returned without being opened first – even if it is factory sealed.

“After seeing the contents of my box the employees at that store understood why they should open the boxes,” she said.

The scam seems to have reached beyond Future Shop and Best Buy as Walmart and London Drugs have also been hit with ‘clay’ iPad 2 returns. All these retailers have modified their return policies to ensure units are inside the box for returns, even on sealed items.